Electric hotel-annunciator and fire-alarm



(No Model.)

A. T. HESS.

ELECTRIC HOTEL ANNUNGIATOR AND FIRE ALAEM. No. 271,7074 Patented Peb. 6,1883.

"UNTTnD STATES PATENT @Finca ALBERT T. HESS, OF DIES MOINES, IOYVA.

ELECTRIC HOTEL-ANNUNCIATOR AND FIRE-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,707, dated February 6, 1883',

Application tiled November 29, w82. (No model.)

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT-T. Hess, of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented an Electric Hotel-Annunciator and Fire-Alarm, ot' which the following is a specilication.

Theobjectot'myinventionis toutilizeelectric currents in operating a hotel-annunciator in such a manner that signal-calls can be readily made from the oflice to any room in the house,

` and answer or return signals made from any room to the office, and also in Stich a manner that an alarm can be given from the office to all the rooms simultaneously in case of tire or whenever desired.

It consists,rst,in forming aswitch adapted for dividing an electric current and distributing it to a series of rooms in such a manner that the'clerk or operator in the oftice can by simply adjusting the switch start the signalbell ringing in each room to simultaneously alarm the inmates of all the rooms; second, in arranging and combining my switch and current-divider with one or more batteries, a signal-station and annunciator-dial in the ofli-ce, and a series ot' bells in a corresponding series of rooms by means of a series of conducting-wires in such a manner that an independent circnit can be readily established at pleasure between the office-station, annunciator, and battery and any one of the series of bells and rooins,andalsoa general connectioncircuit and current formed between the officestation, annunciator, and one or more batteries and all of the bells and' rooms, all as hereinal'ter fully set forth.

Figure l of my accompanying drawings is a perspective view of my switch and currentdivider, formed on a section of the base-board ot' an annunciator. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the relative positions of the switch, the battery, the annunciator-dial and series of push-buttons in the hotel-office, a series of bells in a series of rooms, and a series of connecting-wires. Together these figures clearly illustrate the construction, application, and operation of my complete invention.

A represents a wooden base in the office or station, to which the operative mechanism is attached.

B B represent electric batteries, preferably the Leclanch.

C represents a dial, and D a series of pushbnttons of an annunciator combined with the base A. Nos. 1 23 4 represent a series of rooms in a building;

E represents my switch-plate, hinged to the surface ofthe base A by means of staples or in any suitable way. It is in the form of a straight-edged metal strap, and` has a cra-nkhandle,f, at its end.

g is a wire connected with a battery, B, or a series of cells, and terminatesover and within reach of the adjustable hinged switch E.

g is a wire connected with a second battery or second series ot' batteries B, and terminates on the surface ot the base A, within reach of the switch-plate E, so that its end will be covered b v the switch when it is turned down.

g is a wire permanently connected with the end of the switch E, and extendsfrom thence to the operating mechanism ot' the annunciator and its dial C.

g" is a branch wire extending from the wire g to the series of push-buttons D.

h h2 h3 It* are wires extending from a number of push-buttons to a corresponding number of electric bells, fi, in the corresponding series of rooms Nos. 1 2 3 4.

lo is a wire extended from the bell in room No. et to the battery or one ot a series of batteries, B.

k2 is a wire extending from the wire k to the bell in room No.3. 1

k3 is a wire extending froml the wirev h2 to the bell in room No. 2.

7a4 isa wire extending from the wire k3 to the bell in room No. l and these wires k' k2 k3 L, together with the wire h', the switch E, and the Wires g y" g", form a complete circuit to connect the series of bells in the series of rooms with the battery.

g" is a wire extending from the battery to the annunciator, for reversing the current and adjusting the indicators by electric force, in

place of replacing them by hand after heilig displaced in signaling.

l' l2 Z3 Z4 are wires extending under the pushbuttons m in the series of rooms Nos. l 2 3 4, as required to form independent circuits, with a corresponding number of drops, shields, or indicators, of any suitable form, connected with the dial C.

IOO

ot n2 'n3 n4 are wires extending from the buttons m in the rooms to the chain of wires k k2 k3 h4, as required to form connections between the respective buttons and the indicators under the dial-plate C of the annunciator and the batteries.

1" 'r2 r3 1 are wires that extend respectively from the wires h h2 h3 h, at points near the push-buttons D, connected independently with the said wires h h2 h3 h4, toward and over the hinged switch-plate E and through the base A, as clearly shown in Fig. l, where their ends are bent downward to engage the switch' and to restrict it from an outward movement and disconnection of the circuit.

To signal to any ot' the series of rooms I turn the switch E upon the end ot'the. wire y', as shown in Fig. 2, and then simply push upon one ofthe series of pnsh-buttons D, connected with the wire that extends to the bell in the room to connect the button with the wire g'f, as required to establish an independent circuit between the battery and the bell m iu said room. To make a return signal and answer trom the room ot' the station and operator in the oflce, the occupant ofthe room need simply push upon the button in his room, to press it upon the wire that terminates under the button, to thereby form an independent connection and closed circuit between his room, the battery, and the signal device ot' corresponding' number in the annunciator. To ring all the bellst' simultaneously, as required to alarm all the occupants of the house at the same insta-nt, I simply turn up the hinged switchplate E from the wire g to engage the series of wires r r2 r3 r4, as shown in Fig. l, to divide the current transmitted from a battery or series of batteries B, through the wire g and switch E, to traverse each of the wires h It It h4, that are connected with the corresponding series ot' bells and rooms.

I claim as my inventionl. The electric switch composed of the metal strap or plate E, hinged to the base A, the wires g g g, and the series ot' wires 0" r2 r3 r, in combination with the wires Z l2 Z3 l and the bells t', substantially as shown and described, for the purposes specified.

2. The electric hotel-annunciator and firealarin composed of the base A, batteries 15,1111 annunciator havinga dial ,0, and push-buttons` D, the switch-plate Ef, a series* of wires, g g g g, a series of wires, It' h2 h3 h4, a series of electric bells, t', and buttons m in a corre spondiug` series of rooms, a series of wires, k' k2 k3 k", a series of wires, t l2 L3 Z4, a series of wires, u n2 n3 n, and a series of wiresn'l 1'2 r3 r4, substantially as shown and described, to operate in the manner set forth.

ALBERT T. IIESS.

\Vitnesses:

H. A. SMITH, THOMAS G. ORWIG. 

